The court's approach

What issues does the court consider?

When the court considers issues relating to a child’s upbringing the child’s welfare is the paramount concern. To assist in making the right decisions, the court applies a checklist/set of principles contained in the Children Act 1989. These are considered below.

Lawyers, parents and anyone else involved should apply these same principles to ensure that the focus is what is in the best interests of the children and hopefully the need for court intervention can be avoided.